- Dave Eggars. What is the What. New York City: Random House, 2006.
- "About What is the What." McSweeney's. January 28, 2015. <http://www.mcsweeneys.net/pages/about-what-is-the-what>.
- "Eggers Blends Fact, Fiction of Sudanese 'Lost Boys'." NPR Books. November 1, 2006. January 28, 2015. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6412768>.
- The IRC. "The Lost Boys of Sudan." International Rescue Committee. October 3, 2014. January 28, 2015. <http://www.rescue.org/blog/lost-boys-sudan>.
- "South Sudan Profile." BBC News Africa. January 22, 2015. January 28, 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14019202>.
- "Sudan: The Quick and the Terrible." Frontline World. January 2005. January 28, 2015. <http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/sudan/facts.html>.
What is the What Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for What is the What is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
The protagonist: Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese child refugee who immigrated to the United States under the Lost Boys of Sudan program.
Antagonist: war, corruption.
Asked by
Setra S #1291994
Answered by
Aslan
The "grinning man" is a Dinka, who sits across from Deng at the gathering of the merchants. Valentino's interactions with the man are worrisome, as the man and his friends demand more and more from the merchants under threat of death.
Asked by
corbyn l #1115891
Answered by
jill d #170087
Valentino is referring to the fact that no matter how miserable he sees his life in the United States, it will always be better than the life he left in Africa. In the United States, he moves about freely, travels, and visits friends. He has...
Asked by
esmer m #755136
Answered by
jill d #170087
